More than four months after losing a landmark education funding case, the state of New Hampshire started paying $2 million in legal fees that the Contocook Valley School District and 18 allies spent persuading the Supreme Court to call upon the Legislature to significantly increase state aid to public schools.

In June, the high court, in a 3-2 decision, ordered the Legislature to increase its per-pupil grants that support an adequate education by more than $4,300 per student, which translates to more than $500 million in annual additional assistance.

The justices overruled a lower-court ruling in that it deferred to lawmakers to come up with how it would meet that level of state support.

After a trial, Rockingham County Superior Court Judge David Ruoff said the suit provided a “signi

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